Pricing

Fair and flexible fees

Our background in accountancy means our focus is always on helping our clients maximise their money. This ethos does not change when it comes to estates, which is why we'll always do everything we can to keep administration costs as low as possible. We can offer as much or as little help as you require.

No wealth-based percentages

Other institutions who carry out probate work charge a variable rate but in addition often charge a percentage of the estate, which could be as high as 4% - even for simple estates. We don't do this. We believe our fees should be based on the services we provide, not on the wealth of the deceased.

probate can be dealt with through a fixed or variable fee

Fixed or variable fees

Fixed or variable fees

You can choose to go for one of our fixed fee packages or go for an estimate based on our hourly rates and our assessment of how long we think it will take to complete the assignment. As noted above, we aim to be as flexible as possible.

Fee Packages

We are committed to transparent pricing and thus, for those who wish to go down the fixed fee route, we have developed the following fixed packages to choose from:

Package 1

This includes the following services:

An initial meeting with Personal Representatives (PRs) to understand the estate and to obtain details of deceased, executors, beneficiaries and close relatives of the deceased.
Reviewing all relevant paperwork (including will and death certificate etc)
Calculating gross and net value of estate.
Completion of IHT forms and calculation of IHT liability from details provided by PRs.
Completion of PA1 form for the probate application from details provided by the PR’s.
Associated correspondence, meetings and phone calls to complete the above.

Package 2

This includes everything in Package 1 but in addition includes:

Completion of IHT forms and calculation of IHT liability as above but we will collate the various details by enquiry of banks, investment advisors etc rather than obtaining these from the PRs.
Finalising the deceased’s income tax.
Finalising the estate income tax.

Package 3

This includes all items in Packages 1 and 2 plus the following:

Operating a client account for the estate and gathering in assets and paying liabilities and beneficiaries.
Arranging payment of legacies.
Distribution of the residuary estate.
Preparation of estate accounts and agreeing these with the PRs.

Pricing for Package 1

The price of Package 1 is fixed for various situations and the fees (exclusive of disbursements) are as follows:

If there is inheritance tax to pay - £2,500
If there is no inheritance tax to pay but an IHT400 is required to claim allowances - £2,200
No inheritance tax forms required - £1,000

Pricing for Packages 2 and 3

For Packages 2 and 3 the cost is dependent very much on specific circumstances. If you provide the information outlined below, we will prepare an initial estimate for you. Should you decide to proceed, we can then agree a fixed fee tailored to your specific requirements.

The approximate gross value of the estate.
How many properties were owned by the deceased
The approximate number of bank accounts held by the deceased.
Whether the deceased investments are held by an Investment Advisor. If the deceased held investments personally, the approximate number of individual holdings.
Whether the deceased is a beneficiary of a trust.
Whether the will includes a trust.

As an indication of cost, Package 2 for most straightforward estate administrations is generally priced between £3,000 and £5,000, with Package 3 averaging between £7,000 and £9,000.